Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Sharing the Internet

You probably know that I use dial up to connect to the internet from all of my past whining about it: the slowness in pulling up pictures, and the inability to view video clips! When son moved away, one of the things he really missed was internet access. He had brought his computer with him (of course!) but his girlfriend's place didn't have internet and they both were too poor to get it. Well, a few weeks ago he realized that he could tap into MY internet service, even though he lives in a city almost three hours away from here.

He moved away on April Fool's Day and had called me twice. It was on the second call that he told me about the internet use. Good thing he did that, as I would have been puzzled and upset to have been blocked with a message, "Another user is currently using the service" or something like that. And sure enough, shortly after that second call, I started seeing the message often in the morning when I like to read blogs. And I saw it often at night, too, when I wanted to look something up on the internet. Suddenly my access to the internet was severly limited!

The first few times I just let it go, but as it continued, I would try calling him on his cell phone number. I even tried calling his girlfriend's cell phone! The cell phone reception is terrible in the new city. With all the calling, I had reached him only once and that was when I complained about it during his second call to me. We hung up from the conversation so I could try it, and it worked--for the very first time. His (and girlfriend's too) phone will not even allow me to leave a message for him but says to "call back later". Well, I have called back later and later with no success except that once and now last night.

I called him last night and after the third or fourth time I tried, the phone actually rang through instead of telling me to call again later, and he picked it up! I had been on the internet reading blogs and had gotten booted off. When I tried to reconnect, there was the message that someone else was using it! He had booted me off, which I find very disturbing and annoying as my connection is supposted to be the "master" one. So that's why I was calling and calling him.

Well, anyway we had a nice conversation despite the poor phone connection (he had to go outside to talk) and I urged him to read his email. Because in desperation at not being able to call him, I had sent a newsy email that also mentioned his internet usage. I found out that he has found an apartment and they may be moving. He again invited me to come to see them and even to move to that city (which has much cheaper rent and more available jobs) a tempting thought except for my Mom who lives here and depends on me.

Well, I got on the internet this morning and look what happened (long post, above)! How is the internet usage at your home, do you have to share?

Later: Actually I can't change his password! The service I use allows something like 5 separate user names, each with their own private password. He's using one of those, not the main one that I use. I often don't read my email when I go online either! There's just so much junk to sort through to get to the good stuff.

I think I agree with Denny, change your password on your internet account so your son can't use it unless he asks. Then change it again after he uses it. I would not like to share my internet. I had dial up for years because that is all I could get but now I actually have high speed. It's wireless so they had to put up a dish on my house. I also got a wireless router for the house but I did put a password on it so no one else can use my internet.

As for best friends...wow, I just don't know. I've had a couple of best friends in my life that went horribly, horribly wrong. Now to be truthful my best friends are my husband and my sister. I guess they play that role because I can always count on them and they don't want anything from me except me to be me.

No...I have what is called Road Runner here and I have a modem between my computer and my sons (he lives here...yikes!) and it only costs me $4.95 a month for him. I pay $44.95 alone for the internet connection that is cable...it's fast! So the phone isn't a problem either.